Zayn Malik: One Direction 'Is a Part of Me, an Integral Part of My History'

The 'Pillowtalk' hitmaker says his time in One Direction was 'incredible' and he's 'proud of a lot of stuff from the One Direction days.'

Zayn Malik may have left One Direction, but he actually has good things to say for his former bandmates in his new autobiography "Zayn", which is due out on November 1. The "Pillowtalk" hitmaker is grateful to be a member of the beloved British boyband.

"I got to meet amazing fans, and I can never thank all of them enough for the love and support they gave me during the good times, and the bad," he writes, in an excerpt shared by Teen Vogue, "I can honestly say I'm proud of a lot of stuff from the One Direction days. I'm not sure people realize that, but I am."

The "Like I Would" crooner adds, "I've got the memorabilia - the platinum discs we received with every album - all over my house. I have a wall dedicated to displaying them. One Direction was an incredible experience in its own right, and it's a part of me, an integral part of my history, and I'm never going to deny that aspect of my life."

Zayn previously revealed that he left the group in 2015 because he wasn't allowed to write about sex. "Every lyric I've ever written has a story behind it," he shared, "All the hard work that went into the creation of 'Pillowtalk' was worthwhile because, as soon as it was finished, I intuitively felt I was on the right path. It was a sick cut, nailing the exact sound I wanted to capture in my music. I was also able to sing about a subject that I hadn't really been able to go near while I was in One Direction: sex."

"I'm going to show you as much as I can so that you can judge me on my own terms, not on what the press or anyone else says," he added.